News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-01-20
FROM WASHINGTON.
IFrom our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. c., !
Jan. Is, 1887.

WASHINGTON, u. u,
Jan. Is, 1887.
Although the expected Revenue Re-
form fight failed to come off in Con-
gress this week, other important
questions came to the front and re-
suited In more legislation than prob
ably months of tariff talk would have
done. The House of Representa-
tives expressed itself overwhelmingly
in favor of dignifying the Department
of Agriculture with a seat in the Cab
met, and it expressed itself almost as
positively in favor of extirpating the
hierarchy at Salt Lake City.
The great question of Interstate
commerce still hangs fire in the Sen
ate, and the more it is discussed and
the more the objections raised to 1t
are considered, the more the unbiased
mind is impressed with the necessity
of making it law. But as a Sena-
tor recently said, it must be adopted
or rejected as a whole. The pending
bill is the result of struggle of ten
years, and if it is rejected, there is no
telling when another bill can be
brought to vote.
1t was intended that the debate on
this measure should be finished on
Thursday, but it was found that this
would entail night session, and as
most of the Senators expressed de-
sire to attend the Presidents recep-
ton that evening, given in honor of
the Diplomatic Corps, the vote was
deferred. The Farmers Congress,
which has been in session at the Ag-
ricultural Department several days,
appointed committees to wait upon
the Senate and House to urge the pas
sage of the Interstate commerce bill,
and other measures of interest to ag-
riculturists.
There was interesting debate over
the Anti-Polygamy bill on Wednesday
in the House, just before the meas
ures passed that body. Congressman
Taylor, of Ohio, the member who rep
resents the district to which Mr.. Gar
field formerly belonged, gave a brief
sketch of the establishment of the
Mormon church in Utah. Its friend,
the Legislature of Utah, he said,
would not strangle it, but Congress
must, and fortunately Congress could.
1t had the legal poTer under the Con-
stitution, and it had the means at
hand to exercise it.
Mr.. Taylor said, while this people
and this Church defied the moral sense
of civilization and he was heartily in
favor of the main features of this bill
against them, he was unalterably op-
posed to one of its provisions-that
abolishing female suffrage in the Ter
ritory Of Utah. He stood appalled, at
the first suggestion of taking the cleo
toral franchise from a considerable
class of people accustomed to its use.
Would the precedent here made be
invoked hereafter, and if so, in what
direction?
Mr.. Game, the Territorial delegate
who represents the Mormons in Con-
gress, defended his constituents with
great earnestness, and his speech
commanded close attention from the
floor as well as from the galleries.
He said the Mormons, although they
had suffered indignities, insults, ostra-
cism, and SANDER for years, had made
the desert to blossom like garden of
flowers. He spoke of their piety and
thrift, and pledged his word and his
character, that the charges and the
statements upon which this legislation
was based were without foundation.
In fact, Mormonism, he held, would
be swept away by the progress of
events if God, in his wisdom, had so
appointed.
Mr.. Bennett, Of North Carolina,
who was opposed to this legislation,
and Messrs. Coswell of Wis, Tucker
of Va, and Reed of Maine, who ia
vored it, were the other speakers.